Sophie Reads YA: Lyrical Press

2022 New Release challenge

ARC Review: Every Rogue Has His Charm (Love and Let Spy #4) by Susanna Craig

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Every Rogue Has His Charm
Series: Love and Let Spy #4
Author: Susanna Craig
Published August 2nd 2022 by Lyrical Press

Goodreads Synopsis
Love, intrigue, and a fresh spin on historical romance make a sexy and suspenseful mix in the latest novel in Susanna Craig’s Regency-set series—as the wife one man left behind becomes the woman he can’t live without...

Caroline, Marchioness of Chesleigh, has been married for six years—at least in name. In fact, Caro has hardly seen her husband since the early days of their union. Scarred and reclusive, Maxim wasn’t ready to trust his wife with his secrets—or his heart. Instead, he quickly resumed his life of espionage in France, believing Caro was better off alone.

When the spy who left her returns upon inheriting the Dukedom, he finds his wife is not the girl she once was. Her heart is a little harder. She’s learned to stand on her own. Yet the desire that once ignited between them burns as hotly as ever...

Now, the more Caro learns about the past Maxim tried to hide from her, the deeper their bond grows. But danger haunts her husband’s every move, jeopardizing their passionate reunion...
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

Marrying the Marquess of Chesleigh was one of the best, and worst, things Lady Caroline Brent had ever done. She meet Maxim at a house party, while hiding in the library, and after being discovered late at night, they quickly married, allowing her to flee the tyranny of her father's home. However, when her new husband left her after less than a week, and hasn't returned in 6 years, she's changed. Now living in Brighton, she's kept herself away from her family, though their letters begging for money keep coming, and she can't put them off forever. And when Maxim returns, now the Duke of Hartwell, and expects his biddable wife to be waiting, he's in for a shock. Maxim has always struggled with feeling's, and his hatred for his grandfather, and for the idea of love following what he saw during his childhood, he's scared when he's started to feel more than just desire for Caro, and so he returns to his spying roots - using his knowledge of France and French to help him help his country. On his return, though, he discovers that his old boss no longer trusts him, and has placed some agents close to the home - but once a plot is discovered to harm the new duke, was it for the best?

This is the fourth and final book in the Love and Let Spy series, and I think the perfect way for the series to end. Caro and Maxim both had their vulnerabilities, and neither was willing to give in to the other, and show them how much they were hurt, but once they realised that they meant a lot to one another, and that no matter what, their own feelings wouldn't dissipate, it was refreshing to see them open up. I did have a feeling about who the villain was, but the way it was all revealed, and how all of the plot lines (including the secondary plot line between Mrs Drummond and Captain Hopkins) all came together definitely made up for it. The epilogue right at the end, incorporating all of the stories and romances, brought a proper smile to my face, and I love seeing how all our couples have turned out! I look forward to Susanna's next series.

Dates Read:
May 28-29, 2022

Rating
4 Stars

2021 New Release challenge

ARC Review: Not Even For a Duke (The Wallflowers of West Lane #4) by A.S. Fenichel

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Not Even For a Duke
Series: The Wallflowers of West Lane #4
Author: A.S. Fenichel
Published September 14th 2021 by A.S. Fenichel

Goodreads Synopsis
Finishing school brought four young wallflowers together. The perils of London’s marriage market inspired a pact to protect each other for a lifetime...

Survivor of a hellish marriage, Aurora Sherborne, Dowager Countess of Radcliff, is determined to never be taken in by love. With the other Wallflowers married and starting families, her West Lane residence is empty and lonely. What’s missing is a child of her own, to raise and make her house a home. Intent on marrying only to have children, Aurora wants nothing to do with romantic attachments.

The newly minted Duke of Cowin, Garrett Winslow, has known Aurora all her life, and loved her nearly as long. Recently returned from his travels abroad, he’s certain the infatuation was left in the past, but upon seeing the now-widowed Aurora, those feelings come rushing back.

Maddeningly, Aurora regards him as nothing more than her brother’s best friend. Determined to make her his, Garrett will use every tender weapon to seduce her—and prove she’s worthy of true love.
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

After her horrendous marriage straight out of school, Aurora Sherborne, Dowager Countess of Radcliff, is adamant she will never let herself be in a position to suffer again. She has seen her friends and brother all find happiness and love, but to her, love is just pain, and even though she is considering remarrying in order to have children, she will wall her heart off from any possible heartache. But then Garrett, her childhood friend, and new Duke of Cowin, returns to England, to take up his title, and the infatuation between them as children has not gone away. Every moment they are together, the sparks are flying, and it's clear that Garrett will do everything and anything he can for Aurora - even give her up, if need be. Will Aurora allow herself the possibility of love, or has the despicable Earl of Radcliffe still got his claws in her?

I've been waiting for this book ever since I finished the previous ones in the series. Aurora has always been a character who intrigued me, and learning what she suffered at the hands of her husband, who she was forced to marry, sight unseen, on her return from finishing school in Switzerland. She thought she would love him, but after a horrific wedding night, and subsequent couple of years of marriage, all wishes and dreams were taken from her. Now, she is rethinking her decision to never marry, as she wants children, and to be able to love a child, who should never hurt her like a romantic love would. She also plans to use the home she was left in her marriage contract to turn into a girls school, not a finishing school, but one where girls - of all classes - will learn practical subjects, and things like maths and sciences too. However, many of the ton think it's a bad idea, and try to dissuade her, except for the other Wallflowers, their husbands, and Garrett, who will support Aurora in anything. I honestly think this was my favourite book in the series. Seeing the other Wallflowers happy was a bonus, but having Aurora finally get a happy ending - with some roadblocks in the mean time - and to someone who truly loved her, and had done since they were children, was amazing. I wish that Aurora's father had never agreed to marry her off, and that she was able to marry Garrett when they were younger, but the past is in the past, and she is finally happy. I couldn't have asked for a better ending to the series!

Dates Read:
August 17-18, 2021

Rating
4 Stars

2020 New Release challenge

ARC Review: Rules for an Unmarried Lady (Once Upon a Bride #3) by Wilma Counts

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Rules for an Unmarried Lady
Series: Once Upon a Bride #3
Author: Wilma Counts
Published December 29th 2020 by Lyrical Press

Goodreads Synopsis
Witty and well-read, best friends Henrietta, Harriet, and Hero know that real love is rarely as simple as a fairy tale. But with the right partner, it can be sweeter—and even more satisfying...

A single woman of means generally does not choose the company of seven rambunctious children over the haut ton. Yet since the tragic loss of her sister and brother-in-law, the Honorable Harriet Mayfield has found purpose and pleasure in caring for her orphaned nieces and nephews. If her unorthodox views about how to raise the newly minted Earl of Sedwick and his siblings put her at odds with their strict grandmother, well, so be it. The children's uncle, Colonel Lord Quinton Burnes, however, is a far more complicated—and charismatic—problem...

Accustomed to having his slightest word obeyed, Quint hardly knows what to make of the bewitching bluestocking who has taken on the role of guardian in his absence. Quint's mother wants Harriet gone, the sooner the better. She has the perfect bride in mind for him—someone not at all like kindhearted, loyal Harriet. But if he and Harriet can only withstand meddling and misunderstandings, their unconventional attraction might yet come to a delightfully happy ending...
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

Rules for an Unmarried Lady is the third book book in the series, following Harriet Mayfield as she is coping with the loss of her sister and brother-in-law, and staying strong for their seven children, the eldest son, Philip, who has become the new Earl of Sedwick, and is wholly in over his head. With the Dowager Countess trying to control everything that is happening, all Harriet can do is wait for the new guardian, the children's uncle Colonel Lord Quinton Burnes, to return home. But, as soon as he does, they but heads over every decision - should the children be sent off to school, is it right for them to visit maternal family in London while still in mourning, etc. Harriet only wants the best for the children, but Quinton doesn't just aggravate her, he also keeps her up at night, and she may just be falling.

I found this a really quick and enjoyable read. The two main characters seemed to be just right for the time period, and really worked well together as a couple. Yeah, there were some moments where all I wanted to do was shake my head and sigh, and some of the angst could've been dealt with with just a little bit of communication, but it wasn't anything unexpected. I adored the children, from the eldest Maria, down to the little ones in the nursery. Philip's growth from grieving twelve year old, to a prospering Earl to be, under his aunt and uncle's care, was exceptional. The main thing I disliked was the dowager countess, who was a complete hag, but I can see why that was in the story in order to move along the action, in a way. It may be the third book in a series, and I've only read this one, but I didn't feel like I missed anything from not reading the previous novels. All in all, a decent book.

Dates Read:
October 26, 2020

Rating
3 Stars

2021 New Release challenge

ARC Review: The Virgin Who Bewitched Lord Lymington (The Swooning Virgins Society #4) by Anna Bradley